Tropical prawn and quinoa salad

Simple meals consisting of vibrant salads is what summer indulgence and eating are all about. Many tend to repeat the same ingredients, which eventually becomes a bit boring. The combinations are endless, and the experience of a morsel from each blend is a new explosion of goodness.

What I love about salads is that there are no boundaries and get you to think out of the box. If carefully planned you have all your five a day of fruit and vegetables, all the fibre you need, the daily protein, the vitamins and the carbs needed for the day, just in that one plate. This salad was a quick fix on one of Dubai's hot days where I really did not feel like cooking and had precooked quinoa in the fridge and a drawer packed with fresh vegetables and fruits. I opted to use prawns as they marry well with tropical fruits resulting in clean, tangy, zesty, sweet and cooling flavours. I wanted a rainbow of colours and taste in one bowl.

I am sharing this recipe with you not only because it is healthy, easy and quick but rather because it tastes absolutely delicious and the salad is beautiful to look at. This bowl of goodness is a wholesome meal and my love for quinoa is obvious. It Is a fantastic whole grain that is on par with brown rice but cooks in a fraction of the time, it also has a unique element of being packed in protein and a good source of good carbs.

This is a fun salad to prepare with your children as you can delegate the task of peeling and cutting the fruits to them while you take care of the rest.

Due to the high content of natural sugars from the fruits this salad is not very diabetic friendly.

Servings: 5

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Start to finish: 30 minutes

cooking: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 300 grams prawns, peeled and deveined

• 250 grams of mushrooms

• 200 grams asparagus

• 1 medium mango

• 2 celery ribs

• 4 medium cucumber

• 1/4 red cabbage

• 150 grams cherry tomatoes

• 2 kiwi fruits

• 200 grams kale

• 1 apple

• 2 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked

• 1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar

• 1/2 avocado

• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Himalayan salad

• Cracked black pepper

Method:

· Prepare the vegetables as follow: Slice the mushrooms, cut the asparagus to 4 cm in length, peel and cube the mango and kiwis, cut the celery ribs and cucumber into chunks, shred the red cabbage, cube the apple and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.

· Cook the quinoa as shown in my healthy superfood salad and leave aside to cool.

· Heat a cast iron fry pan on high heat and add the olive oil. Pat dry the prawns with a paper towel and saute until browned on one side then turn and add the sliced mushrooms and asparagus and season with salt and pepper and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes and set aside to cool

· Now the salad is ready for assembly, Place all the raw ingredients in a bowl with the quinoa and place the baby kale on the top. Add a drizzle of olive oil on the kale and rub with your hands bruising the leaf as this will make them tender. Add the vinegar and toss.

· Transfer to a serving platter and top with the sauteed prawns, mushrooms and asparagus.

· Peel and slice the avocado and place on the top and finish with a sprinkle of the seeds.

Notes:

· Chicken breast works as an excellent substitute for prawns.

· You can also prepare salmon as in my recipe of fusion baked salmon, which is quick.

· Any dressing works with this salad, but I keep it simple as there is already a lot of flavour going on.

· Adding some chopped red chili and fresh herbs add a beautiful aroma.

Per Serving: 629 Calories; 18g Fat (24.4% calories from fat); 30g Protein; 94g Carbohydrate; 13g Dietary Fiber; 91mg Cholesterol; 153mg Sodium.